A nail-biting encounter sees FC Barcelona emerge as 1-0 victors over CA Osasuna. The Catalan giants only barely scrape past their opponents from Pamplona at the Montjuic Stadium. However, the variety of chances at the end for Barcelona are not done justice by the scoreline.
For Xavi, the countdown to his departure has already started here. Thus, the team needs to give it their all between now and the end of the season. Thus, the game was one where the second half was a total switch-on for FC Barcelona. Moreover, it needed Vitor Roque to deliver success to the team.
Here is how the Barcelona players fared.
Player Ratings:
Inaki Pena: 6.5
The Spaniard did not have to do much in the game except for a few decent saves. Ultimately, he managed to retain a clean sheet and that is the main positive he takes away from the match.
Joao Cancelo: 8.0
Effective as ever in attack, the Portuguese fullback delivered a lot of danger. It was his trivela pass powered just right that managed to give Barcelona the goal they needed to win the game.
Ronald Araujo: 7.0
While Ronald Araujo continues to show signs of fatigue, he continues to defend the badge well. His efforts were not in vain either, as his defending allowed Barcelona to maintain a clean sheet and keep Osasuna at bay.
Pau Cubarsi: 7.0
Was not in the spotlight as much as he usually is able to be, but Pau Cubarsi still had a solid game. His passing was as intricate as ever, and his positioning was just as effective. He continued to provide himself as a reliable outlet for his team consistently.
Jules Kounde: 7.5
Even while playing as a right-back, the Frenchman provided a lot of cover and facility to his team. His pass completion was impressive and so was the support he continued to provide Lamine Yamal, who was visibly struggling on his own against Mojica.
Frenkie De Jong: 7.0
Continuously providing good service to his teammates, Frenkie De Jong was given a much more pragmatic role on the day. Distributing possession and ensuring the team’s structure, De Jong’s performance was solid according to his supposed instructions.
Ilkay Gundogan: 7.0
Made a few very promising runs and even created some dangerous chances. However, it seemed that Ilkay Gundogan’s final contributions on a lot of occasions seemed to be lacking. Ultimately, however, he managed to give Barcelona a good offensive edge.
Pedri: 7.5
The youngster continued to create magic for the team on several occasions. His ability to weave his way out of intense pressure is almost unparalleled, and it allowed Barcelona to create a lot of space for themselves as a result of that.
Lamine Yamal: 6.0
Tonight was not the best of Lamine Yamal’s performances for Barcelona. The talented youngster was thwarted again and again by Osasuna’s Mojica, who basically kept him isolated and unable to create any danger on his own. Rather quiet night for him by his own supernatural standards.
Robert Lewandowski: 7.0
A rather convincing improvement from Robert Lewandowski could be seen in the second half. The Polish striker could not manage to get on the scoresheet but he did end up scoring a goal that was ultimately ruled as offside. Moreover, his finishing seemed promising.
Ferran Torres: N/A
Injured in the opening minutes of the game.
Substitutes:
Fermin Lopez: 7.0
Introduced in place of the injured Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez brought his own spark to the game. His continuous runs behind the opposition’s defensive line caused them a lot of problems, and it was quite effective for Barcelona.
Vitor Roque: 8.5
Within less than a minute of his introduction, the Brazilian forward scored for Barcelona. His impact was tremendous, and it was also visible in the build-up to his goal. He also managed to get an Osasuna player sent off with his running.
Oriol Romeu: 6.5
His defensive output was quite convincing after his introduction. Solid performance from the Spaniard, quite promising by his own standards.
